2 Vietnamese Falun Gong followers to face trial

HANOI, Vietnam 
An attorney says two Falun Gong practitioners face trial in Vietnam for transmitting programs about the spiritual group into China.

Attorney Tran Dinh Trien said Wednesday that Falun Gong is not banned in Vietnam and his clients should not be charged.

Trial starts Friday for 30-year-old Vu Duc Trung and his brother-in-law, 35-year-old Le Van Thanh. If convicted, they face up to five years in jail.

State media reported the men broadcast 18 hours a day for more than a year. Three radio transmitters used to send propaganda against another country were allegedly found when they were arrested last June.

China bans Falun Gong and has jailed practitioners of the group it denounces as a cult or a terrorist group.